You and I Are Too Old Not to Deserve to Go Out With a Big Bang
Too Old for This Sh*t: How to Take Your Life Back from an Ageist Society
Goodbye Iris. Thank you for the memories, the inspiration, and YOU
This will be very brief. Just a repost of the NPR story about an icon’s icon, one of the first TRUE influencers, a woman who broke the mold and broke expectations and broke the narrative:
Iris Apfel
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/01/1090257339/iris-apfel-dies
From that story:
Apfel's star only brightened as she aged. At 90, she was teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. At age 94, she was the subject of a well-reviewed documentary by Albert Maysles (Iris.) At age 97, she became a professional fashion model, represented by a top agency, IMG. She modeled for Vogue Italia, Kate Spade and M.A.C, and the time of her passing, was the oldest person to have had a Barbie doll made by Mattel in her image.
"She became a beacon for so many people," jewelry designer Alexis Bittar said in a statement shared by Sale. "Through living her life on her own terms it messaged to women that they don't need to hide in the shadows as they age, they actually can continue to glow and get better at what they do and look like."
If you didn’t know her, this recognition will, I hope, be as much of a celebration as she was. I wrote about fashion for years.
Iris was a special, special shero for all us older women.
I already miss her.
She played.
Thanks for looking. I just wanted to celebrate Iris Apfel. Other stuff might be more compelling from my writing, but few were as compelling as Iris. Still, if you’re moved, consider
Either way, damn. I’m going to miss her .
I loved Iris Apfel. She was an icon, she was smart, and she was my influence when I started wearing large glasses - they were a statement (pre-cataract surgery, when I didn't need glasses anymore.) She was a maximist who influenced minimalists like myself. She is missed, and will be for a long time.
Wow! I now need to know everything about Iris! A beacon indeed.